Ten sentenced of cyber-bullying targeting Brigitte Macron

A Paris court has found guilty ten people for engaging in the digital intimidation of Brigitte Macron, the partner of French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The those on trial faced charges of disseminating false claims regarding her gender identity and sexuality, in addition to posting defamatory statements about the pair's significant age difference.

The court delivered suspended prison sentences of a maximum of eight months to the defendants. The detailed judgment has still to be made public.

A persistent false narrative alleging that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman has spread widely since her husband's initial election in 2017.

This Monday's court decision in France coincides with the Macrons initiating a legal action for defamation in the United States against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, who has repeatedly shared similar conspiracy theories about the French president's wife's biological sex.

Their complaint contends that Owens disregarded any factual proof that refuted her assertions in favour of amplify the voices of notorious conspiracy peddlers.

Owens has frequently reiterated these claims on her podcast and social networks, and in March 2024 stated that she would stake her entire professional reputation on her conviction that Mrs. Macron was born a man.

Brigitte Macron initially encountered her future husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.

The two tied the knot in 2007, when the man who would become president was 29 and she was in her mid-50s.